Site of St. Stanislaus Kostka Church, the parish church of Our Lady of Czestochowa Parish, as well as our Parish Center and business office.
In the second half of the nineteenth century, Polish refugees who escaped Prussian domination settled in Bay City. In 1874 they formed a society under the patronage of Saint Stanislaus Kostka of Poland. To fill the needs of this Polish-speaking community, a wooden church was built and dedicated on December 13, 1874.
During the pastorate of Fr. Marian Matkowski, a grand Neo-Gothic church was erected at a cost of over $60,000. The cornerstone was blessed on June 24, 1890, and the church was dedicated on July 17, 1892 by Bishop Henry J. Richter of Grand Rapids.
You can learn more about St. Stan's founding here.
Michigan Historic Site
The St. Stanislaus Church building is a registered Michigan Historic Site. The historic marker, which is marked in both Polish and English, is located near the main entrance to the church.
Later additions to the campus included a convent built in 1927, a rectory, a high school built in 1951, and a grade school, which celebrated 100 years as a school in 2011. In the 1980's, a portion of the rectory was sectioned off for use by the remaining sisters, and the convent was demolished.
Beginning in 2007, under the leadership of Fr. William Rutkowski, a new Parish Center and site improvements and parking upgrades were undertaken. As part of the Campus Project, the High School building housing the former parish offices was demolished, Grant Street in front of the church was closed, additional parking was added, creating an enclosed campus with central access to all buildings. A new electronic sign provides updates on events and Mass schedules for passers-by.
In 2011, Bay Area Catholic Schools announced a consolidation of school campuses, which led to the decision to discontinue classes at St. Stanislaus School. The parish Building Committee will be developing plans for future use or disposition of the school building.
On July 1, 2014, following a year of linkage, St. Stanislaus Kostka and St. Hyacinth parishes merged as part of the Planning Tomorrow's Parishes effort of the Saginaw Diocese. St. Stanislaus Kostka Church was named by Bishop Cistone as the Parish church of the newly formed Our Lady of Czestochowa Parish.
